Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1887-11-18
A little HERCULES.

y IL lE EfEHCOlES.
Away back in the sixties was finan.
| cially interested In two or three Texas
enterprises with man named George
Sloane. That was his right name, but in
many localities in Texas he was known
as Nervy George. | have seen a great
many statements concerning his adyen-
lures in print, but ell more or less exag-
gerated. Some Of the adventures which
came about while we were in company
| will now give to the press for the first
time
Sloane was an Ohio boy, and | made
his acquaintance and chummed with
him in AndersOnville prison. We went
West together after the war, and at that
time he was only ~ years old. He was
8 feet Z inches high, weighed l60 pounds,
and was the strongest man ever saw
outside of professional wrestler or can
non-ball tosser. His flesh was so hard
that he could crack walnut on his leg.
On two or three occasions | knew him
to break the bones in mans hand by
single grip. He took no training fany
sort, but the strength and ruggedness
were born to him. As if not satisfied
in making him young Hercules, nature
gave him the most wonderful nerve and
courage. He once told me that he
would give 500 to realize for five min.
utes what fear was. | saw him in some
of the hottest places man could get
into, and never saw him falter or hesi-
tate or make uIsIahe III uoIng Just the
right thing.
One afternoon, after we had finished
up some business in Dallas and were
ready to 60, we entered a saloon. 1t was
full of gamblers, cowboys and roIgh
characters generally, and every man
wore revolver in plain sight. We were
slipping our drink when a burly, big
ruffian, who was a fighter from away
back, Intentionally fell against Sloane
with considerable force, and then stood
off and leered at him and said:
"l'm waitin' fur ye to AK my pardiug
for that, banty."
Sloane meyer carried weapon of any
sort while in town. He looked the fell
low over in cool and quiet way, and
finally asked:
"Did you intend to insult me, sir?"
Wnsult YEP" echoed the other. "Who
talks of insults? Why ye little game
cock from somebody's barnyard, III give
ye two minuits to get down on your
knees to me-"
"If you do not beg my pardon before |
finish this glass" replied George, 81
will make wreck of you.
By this time everybody in the saloon
had crowded around us, and it was easy
to see we had no friends there. There
was something In sloane's eye and tone
which cautioned the big fellow, and if
left to himself he would have retired
from the scrape. But he was egged on
and braced up by the crowd who ached
to see a row, and he stepped back lit
tie, drew his revolver, and growled:
Now, banty, get down on your mar
row bones, or you'll take dose of
lead
Sloane leaned on the bar with his ell
bow and slipped his wine slowly, pay
ing no further attention to any one. lie
was, perhaps, a minute aud a-half fin
ishing his glass, and during the last
halt minute he was covered with the
mans revolver. When he sat down the
glass he wiped of bis mouth, returned
the handkerchief. and then turned and
advanced upon the ruffian. The man
fired point blank at his head, cut of
lock Of hair, and The bullet killed the
bartender. Before he could fire again
George seized him, one hand on his
throat and the other OH his knee, lifted
him high in the air, and held him thus
for ten seconds. Then he gave the body
a fling upon some whisky barrels ten
feet away. 1t was an astonishing feat
Of strength, and the silence of death fell
upon the room. When il was broken it
was by man who had tiptoed over to
the barrels to look at The ruffian, and
who hoarsely whispered:
scr Eat heavens, Tom is as dead as q
fish,
So he was. The iron fingers had
choked the life out of him as he was
held aloft, and when he struck the bar
rel almost every bone in his body was
broken. George stood there for two
long minutes, looking from one to the
other, sn1 then asked:
"Does anybody else want me to go
down OH my knees:"
Never a man replied. Never hand
was lifted and we went slowly out and
mounted our horses and rode away un-
molested.
a month or so later We were at Waco,
and one night attended the performance
at concert hall. A rougher crowd could
not have heen hrouoht topether In the